Govt 'lacks will' on disappearances
Govt 'lacks will' on disappearances
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
The government is being urged to take action to relieve the pain
of thousands of families across the country who do not know the
fate of loved ones who disappeared because of their political
beliefs.
National Commission on Human Rights chairman Abdul Hakim
Garuda Nusantara said one of the first priorities had to be
preventing future disappearances by reforming the law enforcement
system.
"Those who have been accused of perpetrating forced
disappearances must face justice. If proven guilty, they must be
prosecuted .... The government must resolve these cases," he said
on Tuesday.
Abdul Hakim acknowledged that such prosecutions would be
difficult due to the poor condition of law enforcement in the
country.
"It is not easy but must be pursued. The House of
Representatives should exercise political pressure on the
government, demanding it take this issue seriously. These human
rights violations could jeopardize the democracy that we are
trying to build," he said.
Abdul Hakim said the rights body had set up a team to focus on
cases of forced disappearance, but emphasized that it would
cooperate with the government and law enforcers, especially when
investigating cases in conflict areas.
At least 1,000 people are documented to have disappeared in
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam during prolonged military operations
against separatists there, while dozens of others have reportedly
disappeared in other conflict areas such as Papua and Poso, South
Sulawesi.
Human rights activists believe most of these people
disappeared due to their political beliefs and activities, which
were considered a threat to those in power.
No one has been prosecuted for forced disappearances despite
reports from victims who resurfaced years after allegedly being
kidnapped by police or military personnel.
"A law protecting witnesses, victims and human rights
activists is necessary and should be a priority. Combined with
reform in the legal system and government, such cases might find
their way to the light at the end of the tunnel," said Abdul
Hakim.
Legal expert Harkristuti Harkrisnowo agrees that action and
political will are needed to bring cases of forced disappearance
to the surface.
"We have all the laws and procedures to deal with human rights
issues. However, it is a completely different matter if none of
these regulations are implemented," she said.
Harkristuti also said a law protecting witnesses and victims
was essential to provide assurance that these people would not be
intimidated if they stepped forward.
"A draft of such a law was submitted to the House sometime in
1999, but nothing has been done," she said.
She urged the new administration to start viewing human rights
violations from the viewpoint of the victims, and to start doing
more to ease the pain of those who have and continue to suffer.